Choices
by Glass Wolf
Summary: Jaina Solo considers whether or not to take an apprentice. Set in the same Post NJO AU as The Price she Paid.


Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars it belongs to Lucas and his company. I am not making any money off this it's just a simple bit of wish fulfillment for my own and potentially the amusement of any other fans.

Note: This is set in the same Alternate Star Wars universe as The Price she Paid. It takes place in the Year 31 ABY in that universe. I was annoyed with the real Star Wars EU for not giving Jaina an apprentice by Legacy of the force and since this AU is largely me exploring how I wished things would have happened I decided to remedy that in this fic.

Choices

Jaina Solo glanced at the latest plack that had been set into the memorial gardens several months ago. She didn't really recall much about Callista. She had seen a picture of the woman holding her and Jason with a sad look on her eyes, and if she really concentrated she thought she could remember a few meetings with her. She had seen Geith here earlier looking extremely depressed as he stared at his mother's memorial. She knew from talking with Mara that he was having a harder time adjusting to their new life than his sister.

She shook herself she had a decision to make and spending her time thinking about her surprise cousins and their mother wasn't going to help her make it. She began to walk through the gardens glancing at the markers one for every jedi lost since Luke restarted the order. Her mother and father had a marker here as well though they were on the other side of the garden. She'd spent a lot of time there during the first few months after the war. She was doing it again she realized letting her thoughts drift away from the choice she really didn't want to have to make.

Deciding that she couldn't put it off any longer she turned her thoughts to the situation the jedi found themselves in. After the war the Jedi order had received an explosion of new applicants and was experiencing growing pains. So many of the new applicants were orphans searching for somewhere to belong since their families were wiped out in the war. In addition to the orphans and the usual mix of applicants there were also people from the imperial remnant who had come to join the academy for the first time in its history.

There had also been the minor schism when her Uncle had forbidden the teaching of Vergere and Jacen's philosophy at all. The supporters had chosen to cut ties with the Jedi saying that Luke was setting himself up as a dictator of the Jedi. Fortunately it was only about six knights but she knew her uncle still worried what would become of them. Which made her worry about her brother Jacen out there searching for answers to his questions about the force.

She shook her head and remembered what Anakin kept saying they couldn't do anything about that until Jacen chose to contact them again. She wished she could talk to her brother but he was away on Corellia helping to set up the praxeum there. Her uncle and the council had decided that a single site was too easy a target for any enemy trying to wipe out the Jedi so several praxeums were being established throughout the galaxy. Most of the younger students would still be trained at Ossus but the council felt older students would be easier to train at separate sites.

She looked down at the small data pad that contained the list of potential candidates for her first official apprentice. The simple fact was there weren't enough masters to handle all the students ready to begin an official apprenticeship so the council had decided to allow knights to teach once again. Which brought her to her choice she could take an apprentice and commit fully to the Jedi order or she could stay in Rogue Squadron as a full time pilot. There was also her relationship with Jag to consider. If she stayed in Rogue Squadron there was a chance he'd transfer from the Empire of the Hand's forces to the forces under the Galactic Alliance control and they'd be able to be together.

She frowned it wasn't very Jedi like to be thinking of her personal relationship over her duty as a Jedi to the people of the galaxy. She resolved to focus just on the matter of rather she felt she was ready for an apprentice or not. "You look troubled." A quit voice said startling her. She turned to find Tionne Solusar standing there.

Jaina smiled slightly she always found the older woman's presence comforting. "I'm just not sure I'm cut out to be a teacher." She looked at the list in her hand again. "I've never really done anything like that before."

"You helped Dani learn to use the force during the war." Tionne said calmly. "I think you will make a fine teacher." Jaina smiled at the compliment and it was true that she had helped Dani to practice and refine her talent as the war had gone on. "You will still make mistakes of course we all do but you'll have others to help you if you need them."

"Even if I decide to take an apprentice." Jaina said after a moment's thought. "I still don't know who from this list to choose." She frowned. "I've never heard of any of these apprentices before." Tionne laughed slightly.

"You really only hear about the very gifted or the very weak." Tionne said after a few moments. "Both groups are more difficult to train." She smiled again once more taking the tone of a teacher. "For a first student it is best to start with someone of average strength in the force who is already well on their way to being Jedi." Jaina could see the logic in that. "If you like I could recommend a few candidates?"

"Thank you." Jaina said handing over the list. "I'd welcome your advice." She watched as Tionne skimmed the names and rearranged them based on what she knew of the students. Tionne finished and handed it back to her.

"I have placed the three best candidates in my opinion at the top of the list." Tionne said calmly. "I still suggest you read all the files." She frowned after a moment. "You should remove Chiko Cote from the list as he's become Raynar's apprentice." Jaina was a bit startled to learn Raynar had chosen to take an apprentice he had told her a few days earlier that he wasn't sure he was ready. "I need to be going now; I have a class to teach."

After she and Tionne had said their goodbyes, she found a quiet alcove to read the over the list again. She found herself seriously considering taking an apprentice and spent a lot of time reading through comments by their teachers and exploring the files on the data chip she had been given. She finally settled on Lophyn Tanat a bornack male a few years younger than she was.

She wondered as she went to see her Uncle and tell him that she'd chosen to take an apprentice and leave Rogue squadron how Jag was going to take it. She thought they could make it work even over such a long distance but she knew it wouldn't be easy. She found her uncle in his office. After a quick hug and cheerful greeting he asked. "Have you made a decision?"

"Yes, I'm going to take an apprentice." She saw him smile and seem to relax. "I'll have to inform Rogue Squadron but then I'll be able to come back here and train him." Luke raised his eyebrow at her and she handed him the data pad. "I've chosen him if that's all right."

"I think you've made a good choice." Luke said with a smile. "But you won't be training him here." He saw her start. "You'll be at the new Empire of the hand praxeum." She stared at her uncle in shock if she'd have known that she wouldn't have been worrying so much. "I had to know you were choosing to take on an apprentice for the right reasons." Her uncle said after a pause. She felt a flash of annoyance at him for thinking she'd let her feelings for Jag influence her decision. "I'm glad you chose to teach." Luke said with a smile. "I think you'll make a good master someday." She couldn't stay mad at her uncle and joined him in smiling. "Let's go introduce you to your new apprentice." He said leading her out of the room.

The end.

There another fic finished in my star wars eu au. I've got plenty of fics planned for this AU and it will be radically different from the canon eu. In some ways.


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